Mining plane plow formed of plural stacked elements



W. ANNIPAJO Feb. 21, 1967 MINING PLANE PLOW FORMED OF PLURAL STACKED ELEMENTS Filed July 6, 1964 CII t x" I INVENTOF? WQLFCAAJG AN many Filed July 6, 1964, Ser. No. 350,532 Claims priority, application Germany, July 13, 1963,

6 Claims. (61. 299-34 This invention relates to mining planes, e.g. coal planes, with plows comprising cutter holder and a plurality of cutters, wherein the cutter holders can be varied in height. The cutter holder can consist in its entirety of superimposed individual elements disposed in stacks. Usually the individual elements in coal planes of this kind are held together by through-going bolts which are set vertically in holes extending through the entire height of the cutter holder. If, in a coal plane of this construction, the height is to be changed, as is necessary where, for example, a roof cutter or other stack element is to be added or removed, the bolts that pass through the entire height of the cutter holder must first be removed. This presents difiiculties underground because there is not, as a rule, enough room between the top of the coal plane and the roof to permit the above-described bolts to be pulled up and out. It is then necessary first to create a sufficiently large recess in the roof. This problem occurs very often, for example, in the replacement of the roof cutters. Furthermore, it happens when fastening together the individual stack elements in the manner hitherto known, that after a stack element has been removed or inserted a new set of bolts to fit the new height of the cutter holder is necessary.

The invention is aimed at the problem of finding a method which, while eliminating the above-mentioned disadvantages, will permit, on the one hand, a stacked construction of the overall cutter holder that will be secure against shifting, and on the other hand will assure a rapid and safe replacement of the individual stack elements substantially independent of the free height between the top of the cutter holder and the roof.

The invention solves this problem in the cutter holders which can be built up stackwise in the usual manner from plate-like individual elements, by the fact that each stack element is provided with a profile groove on the one side and a matching profile tongue on the other, in such a manner that the elements can be assembled together by the lateral insertion of the tongues into the grooves, and can be secured against shifting by means of a plurality of holding pins that can be inserted in staggered array in two or more through-going bores each of which is made up of a plurality of individual aligned and communicating bores. In this case, the inserted pins bear the displacement forces in the one direction and the profile groove and profile tongue bear the forces in the other direction. And so, naught but the removal of a relatively small and light pin is required in order to separate the upper stack element from the one beneath it by moving it laterally outward.

The pins are kept as short as possible and therefore pass at least partially through no more than two stack elements. Provision of the two (or more) through-going bores permits this. Further, recesses or countersinks are provided for the pin heads, and this facilitates the manner of assembly provided by the invention.

The drawing gives an example of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the coal plane, taken along line 11 in FIG. 3;

- United States Patent 3,305,270 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 FIG. 2 is a section along line 2-2 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the coal plane.

A mining plane is shown in FIG. 3.. It includes a planing plow 11 mounted on the frame 12. The frame and the plow with it are drawn across the face of deposit 13 by means of the chain 14 for engagement of the cutters 15 with the deposit for extraction of material therefrom. As is known the cutters are disposed on both sides of the plow and the frame is drawn back and forth across the face of the deposit.

The plow 11 includes a cutter holder made up of a stack of elements 4, 5, 6, and 7 assembled together in stacked relation, with tongue and groove interjoining, dove-tail fits between adjacent elements. The elements are of like construction in that the upper side of each is provided with a groove 1, whereas the underside of each is provided with a tongue 2. Thus the elements can be interchangeable.

Each holder element is provided with a first vertical bore 3 and a second vertical bore 3a, and the first bores 3 and second bores 3a, respectively, are aligned to provide a first through bore composed of the aligned, communicating bores 3, and a second through bore composed of the aligned communicating bores 3a. Further each of the bores 3 and 3a is provided with a countersink 10. The holding pins 8 are disposed in the bores with each pin extending through one of the bores of one holder element and part way into the aligned bore of the next holder element. The pins are staggered over the height of the plow between the two through bores and the pins are provided with heads 9 which are received in the countersinks 10 so that the heads do not prevent relative sliding movement of adjacent holder elements.

In the embodiment shown, the tongue and groove fits extend in the direction of movement of the plow across the face of the deposit being worked.

In use, the uppermost element 4 can be removed from the assembly by removal of the pin 8 which extends through bore 3a in element 4, and then sliding the element 4 to disengage its tongue 2 from the groove 1 of the element 5. The pin 8 in bore 3 of element 5 is then exposed and hence element 5 can be removed in a like manner. For assembly of the elements, a reverse se quence is followed.

In this embodiment, the pins are interchangeable and reuseable. Further, the dimensions of the individual pins can be kept so small that, in each case, the free space between the upper surface of the upper stack element and the roof suffices for the removal of the upper pin.

While the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that these embodiments are merely representative of the practice of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A planing plow comprising a cutter holder and a plurality of cutters mounted on said holder, said holder com-prising a stack of elements assembled together in stacked relation with tongue and groove interjoining fits between adjacent elements securing the elements against relative vertical movement, and a holding pin interconnecting each pair of adjacent elements, extending through the upper element of its pair and only part way through the lower element thereof, said holding pin preventing relative movement of the elements interconnected thereby wherein a tongue slides in its groove.

2. Planing plow according to claim 1, the tongue and groove fits being dove-tail fits.

3. Planing plow according to claim 1, the holder elements being of like construction in that the lower side of each element has one of the tongue and groove profiles while the upper side of each element has the other of said tongue and groove profiles.

4. Planing plow according to claim 1, said pins being staggered in the plow and each having a head countersunk in the upper elements of the elements which it connects.

5. In a mining plane comprising a planing plow, means for moving said plow across the face of a deposit being worked, said plow including a cutter holder and a plurality of cutters disposed to engage the deposit for cutting of material therefrom upon said movement of the plow across the face of the deposit, the improvement which comprises said holder including a stack of elements assembled together in stacked relation with tongue and groove interjoining fits between adjacent elements securing the elements against relative vertical movement, and a holding pin interconnecting each pair of adjacent elements, extending through the upper element of its pair and only part way through the lower element thereof, said holding pin preventing relative movement of the elements interconnected thereby wherein a tongue slides in its groove.

6. Mining plane according to claim 5, the tongue and groove fits extending in the direction of movement of the plow across the face of the deposit being worked, a

first bore extending vertically through each holder element, said first bores being vertically aligned, a countersink at the upper end of each said first bores, a second bore extending vertically through each holder element, said second bores being vertically aligned, a countersink at the upper end of each said second bores, a plurality of said holding pins disposed in said bores, with each pin extending through one of the bores of the holder element and part way into the aligned bore of the next holder element, said pins being staggered between said first bores and said second bores, each pin having a head countersunk in the countersink of the bore which it extends through.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,666,629 1/1954 Sproul 299-32 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,177,216 4/1959 France.

ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PLANING PLOW COMPRISING A CUTTER HOLDER AND A PLURALITY OF CUTTERS MOUNTED ON SAID HOLDER, SAID HOLDER COMPRISING A STACK OF ELEMENTS ASSEMBLED TOGETHER IN STACKED RELATION WITH TONGUE AND GROOVE INTERJOINING FITS BETWEEN ADJACENT ELEMENTS SECURING THE ELEMENTS AGAINST RELATIVE VERTICAL MOVEMENT, AND A HOLDING PIN INTERCONNECTING EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT ELEMENTS, EXTENDING THROUGH THE UPPER ELEMENT OF ITS PAIR AND ONLY PART WAY THROUGH THE LOWER ELEMENT THEREOF, SAID HOLDING PIN PREVENTING RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE ELEMENTS INTERCONNECTED THEREBY WHEREIN A TONGUE SLIDES IN ITS GROOVE. 